Galaxy S8 & S8 Plus Thread

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Elixer

Lifer
May 7, 2002
10,376
762
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If these rumors are true, I'd get one day one. Looks great, and a good size. I have the 7 edge and love it. I don't care if they drop the headphone jack, I use wireless anyways. I would want it to retain water resistant though, I actually did use it a few times, snorkeling in the ocean.
You used your phone while snorkeling?
These aren't waterproof, just water resistant... and that salt water is murder on devices.
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,335
7,987
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And if both ditch the headphone jack?

Like it or not, this may be the direction going forward... I'd rather embrace it and get a phone that will make me happier overall than pick based on which one lets me plug cans in without an adapter.

I think the point is that a phone that lets him plug his cans in without an adaptor is something that would make him happier!
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,335
7,987
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You used your phone while snorkeling?
These aren't waterproof, just water resistant... and that salt water is murder on devices.

I used to use my S5 in the pool all the time when my daughter was learning to swim, got some great videos of her under the water. (admittedly that was not salt water but you could rinse it off after)
 

Commodus

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 2004
9,206
6,799
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I think the point is that a phone that lets him plug his cans in without an adaptor is something that would make him happier!

It's more the forest-for-the-trees aspect. I'm reminded of the people who swear they will never buy a phone without a removable battery, or a FOSS die-hard like Richard Stallman who won't touch anything closed-source. They get so hung up on one feature that they find themselves using an overall inferior product just to say they have that feature.

This isn't to say that a headphone jack can't nudge you toward one phone or another, but I wouldn't want to compromise on camera quality, performance or build just to avoid using an adapter. The adapter is small inconvenience you may forget about the moment you attach it; a lousy camera or processor will be noticeably lousy forever.
 

zerogear

Diamond Member
Jun 4, 2000
5,611
9
81
And if both ditch the headphone jack?

Like it or not, this may be the direction going forward... I'd rather embrace it and get a phone that will make me happier overall than pick based on which one lets me plug cans in without an adapter.

I'll get a Pixel XL, or whatever has a head jack. It's not like I enjoy using Samsung software to begin with.
 

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,335
7,987
136
It's more the forest-for-the-trees aspect. I'm reminded of the people who swear they will never buy a phone without a removable battery, or a FOSS die-hard like Richard Stallman who won't touch anything closed-source. They get so hung up on one feature that they find themselves using an overall inferior product just to say they have that feature.

This isn't to say that a headphone jack can't nudge you toward one phone or another, but I wouldn't want to compromise on camera quality, performance or build just to avoid using an adapter. The adapter is small inconvenience you may forget about the moment you attach it; a lousy camera or processor will be noticeably lousy forever.

Is there a flagship phone with a crap camera or processor that gives a noticeably worse experience than its rivals?
 

Ackmed

Diamond Member
Oct 1, 2003
8,476
523
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You used your phone while snorkeling?
These aren't waterproof, just water resistant... and that salt water is murder on devices.

I did, and I know it was not smart. We went on a cruise, got to an island and rented snorkel equipment for an hour. I had it either in my pocket or in my hand the entire time. Went down to like 20 feet looking at some wreckage. Worked great with no issues other than trying to unlock it with wet fingers. Afterwards I washed it with fresh water for a few minutes, blue out the water from the holes and let it dry just to be sure. Never had any issues with it and used it the rest of the cruise, still use it today. I realize it wasn't smart and may not work like that for every phone, I may have gotten lucky. I have some pics I could post later, really good images I think.
 

taro66

Junior Member
Feb 1, 2017
1
0
1
As long as it has better battery life I'm on board, my s6 edge still can't last a full day.
 

shabby

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,779
40
91
Stunning...

gsmarena_004.jpg


gsmarena_002.jpg


gsmarena_003.jpg


gsmarena_001.jpg
 

Zaap

Diamond Member
Jun 12, 2008
7,162
424
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That in blue or silver will be pretty damn sweet!

Imagine it... a huge conglomerate company feeling it actually has to *design* its new flagship, not just crap something out that looks like something we saw years ago and expect people to buy it for a hefty sum and use it longer than a month or two before its obselecense can't be stood anymore.

The crazy things a consumer is supposed to want from a Mega company!

Still not sure I'm crazy about losing my physical buttons but I'd have to see how it feels and works of course. I'm hoping I won't care.

And kudos for Samsung putting the company crack pipe down and keeping the headphone jack for now.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the Note 8!
 
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dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
24,998
3,326
126
Still not sure I'm crazy about losing my physical buttons but I'd have to see how it feels and works of course. I'm hoping I won't care.
I had the Galaxy Nexus without buttons.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galaxy_Nexus#Hardware

I don't think I ever noticed that there were no buttons. The icons representing the buttons appeared on the screen whenever the screen was on (you know when you actually need them). Now that I have the Verizon Droid, I keep looking at it when the screen is off and wonder why I can see the button icons. Then I remember that they are just silkscreens instead of pixels.

Functionality was the exact same, physical buttons or not (unless you modified the software buttons to be different as you could have more or less buttons, in any order, etc). Same duties, same number of presses. But the icon-buttons had more screen space and a cleaner look than the physical buttons.

Edit: Actually, now that I think about it more, the software buttons had more functionality since they could change color, shape, purpose, etc depending on notifications.
 
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lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,209
594
126
It looks better in those pictures than the earlier one. The phone's appearance seems to match what "Apple iPhone Edition" is rumored to look like. At the least Samsung will not be accused of copying this time.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,209
594
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Apparently the new Exynos is enumerated as "9" series, not 8895 as previously rumored.

16716104_1332465303496593_7405137321792804927_o.png
 
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shabby

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,779
40
91
Still not sure I'm crazy about losing my physical buttons but I'd have to see how it feels and works of course. I'm hoping I won't care.

Not going to miss them one bit, the whole screen is touch so why does one button have to be physical? Apple in a way ditched it for a capacitive one, time for everyone else too.
 

Yakk

Golden Member
May 28, 2016
1,574
275
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Not going to miss them one bit, the whole screen is touch so why does one button have to be physical? Apple in a way ditched it for a capacitive one, time for everyone else too.

The old cheap android phones like Moto G phones had no buttons, not a new idea. Having real button was considered a premium feature...

Now not having buttons is considered avant-garde. Funny that.
 

shabby

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
5,779
40
91
Ahhh it's a rectangular piece of plastic or metal, not much you can really do to differentiate it from anything else, stunning is a bit of a stretch lol

Did you not noticed how much bezel there is? Phones nowadays have 2 maybe 3 times as much as this, i'm looking at you htc. Lg seems to be doing the same thing with the g6, lets see if everyone else will keep up with them.
 

antihelten

Golden Member
Feb 2, 2012
1,764
274
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From evleaks:
galaxy-s8-case-leak-evleaks.jpg


Also looking at the phone and assuming that the screen is indeed 18.5:9 ratio and 5.8 inches, there's no way that the 140.1 x 72.2 mm size numbers being reported on some sites is correct. It would have to be something more like 147-148 x 67-68 mm.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,209
594
126
Is that a fingerprint reader by the camera setup? That is a rather inconvenient place to put it. I have to assume that is a secondary one and there is something else on the front screen.
 

antihelten

Golden Member
Feb 2, 2012
1,764
274
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Is that a fingerprint reader by the camera setup? That is a rather inconvenient place to put it. I have to assume that is a secondary one and there is something else on the front screen.

Yes that is indeed the fingerprint reader, and I don't think there's a second one anywhere.
 

Lodix

Senior member
Jun 24, 2016
340
116
116
Retina scanner is on the front, and it seems that the home button has the Always On Display.
 

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,736
447
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Is that a fingerprint reader by the camera setup? That is a rather inconvenient place to put it. I have to assume that is a secondary one and there is something else on the front screen.
About the same spot as I'm used to on the 6p, and I like it there. I had issues on previous galaxy phones because a lot of cases made it harder to use on the home button. Granted this was also the early readers that didn't work as well, but I still like it on the back for the most part.


Edit: I take it back, it looks higher up than on the 6p which may be an issue. With the small bottom bezel it may be a wash though... We'll see
 

Yakk

Golden Member
May 28, 2016
1,574
275
81
Is that a fingerprint reader by the camera setup? That is a rather inconvenient place to put it. I have to assume that is a secondary one and there is something else on the front screen.

No kidding... VERY inconvenient! :mad:

I like to use my S7 at my work desk on its wireless charger. Having the fingerprint reader on the front I can just unlock the phone while still on the charger, check texts, make speaker calls...etc... now I would have to pickup the phone off the charger or manually input my password, yuck. Very bad.
 

lopri

Elite Member
Jul 27, 2002
13,209
594
126
So they announced Exynos 9 series.. with its flagship product Exynos 8895. Talk about confusing naming.

http://www.samsung.com/semiconducto..._Worlds_first_10nm_FinFET_Process_Technology/
Seoul, Korea, February 23, 2017 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., a world leader in advanced semiconductor technology, today announced the launch of its latest premium application processor (AP), the Exynos 9 Series 8895. This is Samsung’s first processor chipset to take advantage of the most advanced and industry leading 10-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology with improved 3D transistor structure, which allows up to 27% higher performance while consuming 40% less power when compared to 14nm technology.

The new Exynos 9 Series 8895 is the first processor of its kind to embed a gigabit LTE modem that supports five carrier aggregation, or 5CA. It delivers fast and stable data throughput at max.1Gbps (Cat.16) downlink with 5CA and 150Mbps (Cat.13) uplink with 2CA.

The Exynos 8895 is an octa-core processor, comprising of four of Samsung’s 2nd generation custom designed CPU cores for improved performance and power efficiency in addition to four Cortex®-A53 cores. With Samsung Coherent Interconnect (SCI) technology, the latest processor integrates a heterogeneous system architecture that allows faster computing for a wide range of applications such as artificial intelligence, and deep learning.

The Exynos 8895 also delivers unsurpassed multimedia experience with its powerful GPU and multi-format codec (MFC) as well as next level 3D graphic performance that minimizes latency for 4K UHD VR and gaming experience with ARM®’s latest Mali™-G71 GPU.

In addition, with its advanced MFC, the processor supports video recording and playback at a maximum resolution of 4K UHD at 120fps. It also comes with video processing technology that enables a higher quality experience by enhancing the image quality; for example, for VR(Virtual Reality) applications, the Exynos 8895 delivers a realistic and immersive VR video experience at 4K resolution.

The Exynos 8895 has a separate processing unit for enhanced security solutions required for mobile payments that use iris or fingerprint recognition as well as an embedded Vision Processing Unit (VPU) that can recognize and analyze items or movements for improved video tracking, panoramic image processing, and machine vision technology.

“In addition to being built on the most advanced 10nm FinFET process technology, the new Exynos 9 Series 8895 incorporates Samsung’s cutting-edge technologies including a 2nd generation custom CPU, gigabit LTE modem, and more” said Ben Hur, Vice President of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics. “With industry leading technologies like VPU, the Exynos 8895 will drive the innovation of next generation smartphones, VR headsets, and automotive infotainment system.”

The Exynos 9 Series 8895 is currently in mass production.